During transport of drugs for periods of 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 96 hours or 120 hours it is necessary to maintain the temperature ranges, as stipulated by the producer of the drug or corresponding authorities, for storage and distribution to provide for usability and the safety of the drugs.
Thus temperature ranges of 2 to 25° C., 15 to 25° C. and 2 to 8° C. are stipulated for many drugs as conditions for storage and transport and are indicated as well on the packaging and package insert. Insulating packages are frequently used in order to guarantee permanently compliance of the temperature range during transport onshore, at sea and in the air. These packages are most of the time for the 2 to 8° C. range provided with appropriate cooling elements or with active cooling technique. Cooling elements respectively pre-temperate for a predefined temperature range are problematic to use if ambient temperatures, e. g. in winter, differ from the forecast. This results for example in a risk that the temperature of the transported products, e. g. the drugs, supposed to be stored at 2 to 8° C. in most of the cases, sinks below 0° C. and the drug is frozen. Many drugs lose at once their properties after freezing or they may even be harmful for the health of patients.
The document DE 20 2006 017 869 U discloses an insulating box with a heat insulating cover and a heat insulated recipient housing an interior provided with at least one temperature control element for maintenance of temperatures. By configuration of numbers and positions of the temperature control elements it is possible to transport all common package sizes of different blood products in this insulating box of the state of the art at definable stable temperatures, said insulating box being appropriate for cooling as well as for heating of blood products during a transport by means of temperature control elements with different latent heat-storages with high heat- or cold-storage capacity for the ranges of 2° C. to 6° C. for erythrocytes, 20° C. to 24° C. for thrombocytes and full blood and of −30° C. to −40° C. for frozen fresh plasma. Depending on the necessary transport-time respectively different numbers of temperature control elements are added into the insulating box. These temperature control elements are most of the time positioned in the interior of the box at positions provided for this purpose. These elements stabilize by their phase transition from solid to liquid or from liquid to solid the inner temperature till the entire aggregation state has changed and the energy for crystallization are consumed. Temperature control elements, such as coolant members are inserted after or during the setup of the package in cavities provided therefor after e. g. pre-cooling of corresponding coolant members. Depending on size and construction of the package the insertion and addition of temperature control elements are cumbersome and time-consuming and possibly defective.
The document DE 100 30 102 A1 discloses a constant temperature transport system for goods, particularly for the transport of blood and drug-products. A storage-, protection- and transport container for perishable products has a double-wall filled with a liquid or solid latent heat-storage. The double-wall provides at the same time an insulating effect. Two similar cells of the transport container may be connected by a couple of snap connectors along the longitudinal sides. Thus a cavity protected mechanically from outer impact is provided between the two containers allowing storage of blood products.
The document EP 1 302 410 A1 discloses as well a system for transporting goods at constant temperature with a double-wall filled inside with a liquid or solid latent heat-storage providing at the same time an insulating effect. The transport container is made of two complementary, respectively double-wall cells and an equally complementary double-wall ring that may be connected by snap connectors along the longitudinal sides. The complementary double-wall ring provided with snap connectors allows enlargement of the inner cavity to be sheathed. The two complementary, respectively double-wall cells provide bottom and cover. The double-wall ring is also filled with a liquid operating as temperature storage and allowing high transfer or absorption of energy during phase change.
The document EP-A 1 006 058 discloses a container for temperature sensible goods with a temperature moderator maintaining the temperature sensible goods at constant intervals of temperature. A first phase change of the temperature moderator is effected at a minimal temperature and a second phase change at a maximal temperature to maintain the temperature sensible goods inside the temperature range. The temperature moderator is in a container for the temperature sensible goods.
The document WO 2009/035661 A1 discloses an insulated container with a bottom wall, a top wall and side walls defining a cavity for a plurality of coolant members positioned in the cavity.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,233 A discloses a collapsible and reusable shipping container with a series of inner insulated panels and an outer enclosure. The inner insulated panels possess a series of parallel channels, both horizontally configured along the bottom panel and vertically around the side panels, said panels retaining a plurality of heat sinks. A bottom enclosure and bottom panel is in operative communication with the side panels and outer enclosure, the assemblage retained in a closed condition by a top inner panel and top enclosure. The heat sinks cooperate to maintain constant interior temperatures, while a pallet means allows the packed container to be moved and stored.